


Every Breath You Take

by lordmediator



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Hinata Harem, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Oblivious Hinata Shouyou, One Shot, Pretty Setter Squad, Stalking, Thriller, Yamaguchi Tadashi is a Good Friend, Yandere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:26:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27288625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordmediator/pseuds/lordmediator
Summary: Hinata unknowingly attracts the attention of some dangerous but very pretty people.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Shouyou/Everyone, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou/Pretty Setter Squad
Comments: 92
Kudos: 657





	Every Breath You Take

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: This fic contains stalking and implied drug use. 
> 
> Please click away if these topics make you uncomfortable!

1\. Wallpaper

The clouds darkened and Yamaguchi tried to remember if he brought his umbrella with him. He remembered the news last night predicting rain for the coming weeks, so he made sure to prepare his umbrella before going to bed, but he couldn’t remember if he brought it with him to work. 

The glass doors leading to the outside showed the darkened streets despite it still being daytime. As someone working the front desk of the recreation center, Yamaguchi had full view of these doors most of the time, as his job included looking at his computer, logs, or the double glass doors. 

But on cloudy days like this, Yamaguchi felt more compelled to stare at his computer screen and making sure all his logs were and files were in check.

“Excuse me, is Hinata Shoyo here?”

Yamaguchi looked up to see a young man with blonde highlights tied in a lose bun behind his head, sharp golden eyes dressed in a red hoodie and black sweats. Aside from his fairly obvious homebody appearance, the man looked quite handsome and clean-cut.

Yet, there was this subtle intensity from this man’s sharp golden eyes that made Yamaguchi feel like he was being assessed for every little thing he did. It reminded him of the pressure he felt whenever he was put on the court as a pinch server for his high school volleyball days.

_Ah, wait, what was this man asking about again?_

“May I ask what business you have with him?” Yamaguchi asked, mainly out of concern, but also out of policy. 

The stranger blinked. “I’m a friend. We agreed to meet up after his class.”

That’s strange, Yamaguchi thought. Because Hinata said he was free for the rest of the afternoon. “He’s still has class right now, but he should be done in a few minutes,” Yamaguchi replied, giving his best civil smile. 

The man gazed at the door leading to the gym where Hinata’s class was being held. Yamaguchi took note of this, and a tinge of uneasiness he couldn’t quite place blossomed. 

“…I see. Then, I’ll wait for him.”

The blonde man took out his phone and turned his back to him. This allowed Yamaguchi a brief glance at the stranger’s wallpaper screen. Someone’s phone wallpaper was none of Yamaguchi’s business and he’d usually ignore such trivial matters, if not for the fact he was sure he saw Hinata—his friend, the one he was asking for—as the wallpaper. It was a photo of the blonde and Hinata together, a faint hue of pink on the blonde man’s cheeks from how close Hinata stood next to him. 

_Aw, how cute! Could he be a boyfriend Hinata had yet to introduce me to?_

Just as he opened his mouth to ask, the double doors opened and in came Hinata Shoyo, a few of the kids around him. “Remember to practice your receives!”

“Yes, Hinata-sensei!”

When he got to the front desk, Hinata stopped, and beamed at the blonde. “Oh, Kenma!”

“Shoyo,” Kenma greeted, grinning. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“There’s a new cat café just down the street. I was thinking we could go there together.”

“Cat café?” he repeated, his eyes sparkling. “That sounds great! Let’s go now! See ya, Yamaguchi!”

Yamaguchi waved back, watching their retreating backs until they left the door.

‘Kenma’ was someone Hinata had met out on a jog, and Hinata being Hinata, quickly befriended him, stepping up to first name basis despite only having known each other for a short time. He became Hinata’s texting buddy and the two of them messaged each other nearly every day. Yamaguchi knew this because as Hinata’s next door neighbor and high school friend, they saw each other every day. And nearly every day, he caught a brief glimpse of a Kenma flashing across his screen.

He wouldn’t be surprised if the two ended up dating, or were already dating. But if the two of them wanted to keep it to themselves for now, then Yamaguchi would silently support them from the sidelines.

For a brief second, Kenma’s golden eyes flashed into his head and a chill went up his spine. 

There was… something about Kenma. 

He didn’t figure that out, until he saw Kenma again. 

It was the weekend, just a day after their first encounter, another cloudy day and Yamaguchi and Hinata went to the supermarket to do some joint grocery shopping. He made sure they both brought their umbrellas with them. People milled around, talking in hushed voices as to not disturb others, and like usual, Hinata did most of the talking. They were out of lettuce so they made their way to the vegetable section, with Hinata pushing their cart as he followed. The icy air prickled his skin as Yamaguchi grabbed the lettuce from their usual brand, but he paid it no mind.

All was going normally, throwing in their other needed vegetables, the short numbing coldness of the air around the refrigerated area and the sound of plastic and cans being shifted, until he spotted a familiar long-haired man with a hoodie a few aisles down. 

But the minute he focused his eyes to where he saw the man, he was gone.

“It's sad that Takeru-kun is moving but—Tadashi?”

“Ha? Ah… Sorry,” he returned his gaze to his friend’s, seeing the concern and sheepishly chuckled. “It’s nothing. I think I’m just seeing things.”

He hoped he was just seeing things. 

After purchasing everything, and the pair made their way home to their apartment complex, it was getting pretty dark. Hinata filled the atmosphere with his usual chatter of his class such as ‘Inuoka is really good at jumping!’ And the ‘Lev needs to improve his receives,’ and more, such was the caring teacher he was.

And Yamaguchi usually just listened, chiming in every once in a while, with his own opinion. And if Hinata asked, he’d share his own stories of the day or the week. Hinata was in the middle of complaining about one of the meaner kids in his class, a flash of yellow appeared in his peripheral, vanishing as soon as it came, but Yamaguchi swore he saw a shadow of a man quickly retreating. 

A tingling sensation shot through his veins. He’d like to boil this down to him simply being paranoid, and over the years, Yamaguchi acknowledged the fact that he had become the more paranoid of the two of them, but the fear of someone you know potentially stalking you felt profoundly stronger than plain paranoia of a stranger following you in the night.

The streetlights flickered on, the street had become less crowded, but it was still too early to say if someone was following them. When the two of them finally made it back to their apartment on the second floor, Hinata bade him goodnight before entering his apartment and gently closing the door. 

Yamaguchi fished out his keys from his jacket and unlocked his front door. Ironically, the moment he heard the faint click from his door, and he looked over his shoulder, it was as if a bucket of cold water was poured onto him, and Yamaguchi couldn’t move. His hand stayed fixated on the door handle in mid-action, as he spotted a man with blonde hair tied in a low bun, wearing a gray hoodie and black sweatpants leaving from the direction they came in. 

The man in the hoodie halted right under a streetlight, his back to him. 

And slowly turned his head.

Yamaguchi never snapped out of his daze faster than he had at that moment, slamming his door shut and locking it in his haste. As soon as he heard the metallic click, he realized he was holding his breath the entire time he stared at the blonde, and was now breathing raggedly. His heart was pounding against his chest, his back against the door, his knees giving out under him, and his bags of purchased groceries clinking as they hit the wooden floor. Yamaguchi slowly tilted his head to stare up at his cream-colored ceiling.

“What the hell…?”

Surely… that couldn’t be Kenma. 

Based on what he’d seen, he and Hinata were close enough to label each other as best friends and even possible boyfriends, so why all the following? If he wanted to hang out, surely all he had to do was message the ginger and they’d be playing video games in his apartment or even go out on a date, right? 

But what was that tinge of unease? 

Yamaguchi didn’t know how long he sat there contemplating it, but it took him hearing the clink of the cans from his groceries for him to realize that he needed to put all his purchases away and start making dinner. 

And maybe question Hinata about his relationship with Kozume Kenma. So, with a simple request for dinner together, Hinata came over.

As they sat down on the couch and the TV playing the news in the background, Yamaguchi thought it was now or never.

“So, uh,” he began, picking at his vegetables with his chopsticks. “How are you and Kozume-san?”

“Kenma? Oh, we were hanging out the other day and I tell him of how my duffel bag was beginning to wear out and then he buys me the latest Nike duffel bag and I tell him there was no way I could accept it, but then he tells me to think of it as an early birthday gift and then—”

Ah, yes, another one of Kenma’s ‘gifts.’ This was another reason why Yamaguchi doubted Kozume Kenma was a stalker. Why would someone that visibly cared for Hinata’s well-being enough to shower him with gifts feel the need to stalk him? 

Unless he felt that he, Yamaguchi was also romantically interested in Hinata?

“Say, Shoyo, are you and Kozume-san… dating?”

Hinata paused in his ramble enough for a blush to settle onto his cheeks. “I…what? No, I—uh…”

“If you are, you know I’d support you and Kozume-san.”

“Um… Well, the truth is… I’m not really sure? I guess I’ve I haven’t really thought about it…” he played with his lettuce enough for it to slip between his chopsticks, still unable to look at Yamaguchi in the eye, but blushing harder. “…About dating really.”

The TV in the background continued to buzz with news of the weather, and he heard the pitter patter of raindrops against his window. _'Expect thunderstorms in the coming weeks, citizens are advised… Trains may stop… accident happened today at…_

Seeing how flustered he made his friend, Yamaguchi smiled comfortingly. “Well, I just assumed because you guys have been really getting close lately. But just so you know, you have my support, alright?”

Hinata smiled back gratefully. “Thanks, Tadashi.”

Despite leaving that off on a good note, Yamaguchi had been afraid to be alone. He locked his apartment extra tight every night and made sure to come with Hinata to the center every morning and go home together after work as much as he could. Although he mainly did this out of self-preservation, he also did this for his dear friend. If Hinata was caught alone, then there was no telling what Kenma would do.

Speaking of Kenma, he eventually learned many things of Hinata’s potential stalker, simply because Hinata loved talking about him. Video games was his life, he was a cat person, a very intelligent person, and was filthy rich.

Which made dissuading Hinata from hanging out with him harder. 

As Hinata’s high school friend and neighbor, Yamaguchi felt obligated to protect his friend from this stalker, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. How was he supposed to tell him his close friend and potential crush was also a potential stalker? And if he did, what proof did he have? 

It was then Yamaguchi decided that, aside from gathering evidence, he needed to consult with Tsukishima, his childhood best friend, or even Daichi, their senpai from when they were in high school and was now a cop first. 

But then another problem arose.

  


2\. Location

Yamaguchi had just left his apartment to go to the convenience store across the street when a scowling guy with blue eyes stood before Hinata’s apartment door, finger hovering over the doorbell. Yamaguchi didn’t recognize him, never seen him before, yet the expectant look in his eyes told him he may or may not be another friend Hinata made in one of his impromptu adventures around the city.

Jokingly, Yamaguchi thought this one couldn’t be as bad as Kenma. 

“Oh, are you looking for Hinata?”

The blue-eyed man gaped at him, a question mark practically floating above his head. “You know Hinata Shoyo?”

“Yes,” he answered, brow raised at the correction. “I’m his neighbor. He’s usually out at this time. Would you like me to pass on a message?”

“Do you know where he is or when he’ll be back?”

 _Yes, and yes,_ but Yamaguchi’s instincts stopped him from saying so. This man was avoiding his questions. For what he reason, he wasn’t sure yet, but with his issue with Kenma, he wasn’t going to let his guard down yet. “No, unfortunately. I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s fine,” the man waved it off, already moving away from the door. “Thank you for your time.”

Yamaguchi pursed his lips, not liking the sickly feeling growing in his stomach. Again, he failed to bring up the courage to warn Hinata about Kenma, and instead, asked him about his blue-eyed friend during their lunch break together the next day.

“Oh, you’ve met Kageyama?”

“Yeah… I passed by him on my way home. How did you meet?”

“I was writing in my journal of the kids’ progress in the park, then I hear someone over my shoulder comment, ‘that’s a lot of information for your volleyball journal,’” Hinata flattened his hair and narrowed his eyes to mimic Kageyama’s appearance and voice which earned an amused laugh from Yamaguchi. “Turns out he also did volleyball when he was a teen and kept a volleyball journal to track his progress, which was why commented on mine. He actually gave me some organization tips for it! Why do you ask?”

“Oh, uh… Just curious.” 

Hinata narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. “I’ve only met with him a few times, and that was in the park. Did he say something about me?”

“He didn’t really say much, but he asked about you.”

“Me?” he scoffed. “What did he say?”

“He just… asked how you are,” Yamaguchi lied.

But Hinata bought it. “Really? Huh…”

“By the way, Shoyo… has Kageyama been over to your apartment before?”

“No, he hasn’t. I’m pretty sure I haven’t told him where I lived yet. Why?”

_Shit._

“No reason. Just curious.”

Hinata shrugged. “He’s not so bad once you get to know him, but I admit, he does have a terrible personality. Almost as bad as Tsukki’s.”

They both laughed at that. 

Suddenly, shivers went down Yamaguchi’s spine. He whipped his head around, but only saw the busy streets, shops and people walking around from the window booth they occupied in the restaurant they were in, unable to place the intense bloodlust directed at him.

“What was—”

“Tadashi? Are you alright?” Hinata asked, worry etched onto his face. “You look pale all of a sudden.” 

“…Yeah. I’m fine,” he replied, after taking another thorough sweep of the street

On the contrary, Yamaguchi wasn’t fine. It felt like a target was now on his back for his close relationship with Hinata. He’d probably have to set some boundaries and keep an eye on his locks from now on.

When they finished their food and left the restaurant together, Yamaguchi could still feel the bloodlust from before burning holes through his skull. Never before had he wished to have his best friend Tsukishima’s observation skills just so he could pick apart the crowd and find the source of such hostility. Once they reached the crossroads, he and Hinata waited with the crowd for the light to turn green. Hinata once again took the role as the chatty friend to fill up their atmosphere while Yamaguchi patiently listened with his ears, but kept his eyes forward. 

As he did, a figure caught his eye. 

He was wearing a black hoodie, a dark blue cap on top of his head, black shades, and black pants. And he was staring at them from the other side of the street.

He wasn’t sure how long he stared, it was probably only for a few seconds, but the man vanished when the light turned green and the crowd dispersed with movement. Hinata pulled him along with crowd so that they wouldn’t get separated while still talking, but Yamaguchi couldn’t hear him anymore. His attention and fear all on that highly suspicious man in black that he suspected was the source of the bloodlust from earlier.

  


3\. Number

The moment Yamaguchi sat down at his familiar chair and front desk, he contemplated if he should talk with the security team to watch out for any suspicious people. While the bloodlust vanished once they entered the facility, Yamaguchi couldn’t shake off the feeling that that man was Kageyama. 

But again, he had no evidence, and it was frustrating as hell. Dealing with one stalker was frightening enough, but two?! How the hell did Hinata manage to attract two dangerous people like that?

“Excuse me,” a sing-song voice made Yamaguchi look up from his monitor. 

A pretty boy with chestnut-colored hair swept to the side wearing a turquoise jacket and tan-colored pants, leaned over his desk and smiled charmingly at him.

Appreciating the distraction, Yamaguchi gave the man his best smile. “Yes, can I help you?” 

The pretty boy slipped a piece of paper to him with a cellphone number on it. “Please give that to Shoyo. Tell him it’s from Tooru.”

 _No honorifics,_ Yamaguchi noted. Flashing him another smile, the brunette walked away without another word. 

Yamaguchi stared down at the small piece of paper with the black number scrawled onto it. He wondered if this was a good idea, his paranoia beginning to affect his thoughts. Was he another stalker? Then again, this one just handed him his number instead of asking about Hinata. Maybe this one was actually different? Was the risk worth it? Either way, keeping this from his friend probably wouldn’t do any good.

By the end of both their shifts and they walked home together, Yamaguchi brought up the brunette and handed him the paper.

“Oh! Oikawa-san? Yeah, he’s Takeru-kun’s uncle! Takeru was one of my students before he and his family moved.”

_A family member of one of his students?_

That didn’t ease any of Yamaguchi’s worries, as he still kept an eye out for blonde streaks and blue eyes following them. For extra measure he made sure to double-check his apartment’s locks that night.

Aside from his own locks in his own apartment, Yamaguchi also owned a spare key to Hinata’s apartment. One, for emergencies, and the other was for convenience sakes. If Hinata needed anything, and he wouldn’t be able to buy it because of work or some other thing, then Yamaguchi would do it for him and just leave it in his apartment. 

And since they knew each other since high school, Yamaguchi was just one of those friends that could just barge in any time unannounced and vice versa. 

Which was what led to Hinata barging in to his apartment the next day with the most confused look he’d ever seen on his ginger friend. “Tadashi, did you come into my apartment at all today?”

“No, why?”

Hinata let out a small gasp. “…I think someone broke into my apartment and stole some of my stuff.”

Needless to say, Yamaguchi really did call the police that day. Daichi came in with his partner for the day and looked through the place. Yamaguchi stood by Hinata all the way because he knew how nerve-wracking such an experience was.

“How weird,” Daichi commented after sweeping through the place.

“What is weird, Daichi-san?” Hinata asked, clutching the fabric of his pants.

“Whoever broke into your apartment knew what they were doing. The only thing they stole were articles of clothing, so we can assume that this person is either a pervert or a stalker.”

 _Or both,_ Yamaguchi bitterly thought.

“Has anyone been bothering you lately, Hinata?” Daichi asked.

He shook his head. Yamaguchi wanted to face palm.

He wanted to tell Daichi everything he knew about Kenma and Kageyama, but he had no concrete proof. He had no proof that Kenma had been following Hinata every so often. He had not a shred of evidence that he saw Kageyama popping up near their apartment because the CCTVs in their apartment complex were going under repairs. He had nothing to show that either one of those two broke in and stole some of Hinata’s underwear, jackets and socks.

After finishing his report, and Daichi left with the reassurance of a security increase, Yamaguchi and Hinata were left to discuss what they’d do next. He knew Hinata would be too scared to sleep alone in his apartment now, so Yamaguchi offered to let him stay in his apartment for as long as he needed.

That night though, had to be one of the scariest nights of his life.

Dramatically enough, it was thundering, just as the news had predicted. Heavy drops of water splashed against his window, streaks of lightning flashing across the sky once every so often, as if it was a warning of the dangers ahead. 

That night, Hinata laid on the futon next to Yamaguchi’s bed, sound asleep. As an athlete, Hinata did his best to maintain a healthy lifestyle, learning his lesson after he collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of an important match in their high school days. Sometimes, the athlete would even sleep with his headphones on, listening to meditation music while doing so. 

While Hinata was the type to sleep through a storm, Yamaguchi was a heavy sleeper, but would wake up in the middle of the night to either go to the toilet or grab a glass of water. As expected, he woke up with his throat dry, the crash of thunder and the flash of lightning. 

He wished he stayed asleep.

Kneeling beside Hinata’s sleeping figure, the darkness kept him from being spotted. But the moment the flash of lightning provided light, outlining the silhouette of an unknown third party, Yamaguchi sat upright and hit the switch of his lamp that sat on the desk next to his bed. 

The low yellow light illuminated the room and there was no third person in the room looming over Hinata. But that did nothing to ease his pumping heart or cold sweat. Retracting his hand from the lamp, Yamaguchi’s hand trembled as he scanned the entirety of his room to be safe.

_Was I seeing things?_

Perhaps the paranoia was finally getting to him. After witnessing two suspicious people seemingly stalk his friend, and one of them potentially breaking into his apartment for his own twisted obsession, he was beginning to see things that weren’t there. Funny how he was the one becoming fearful of the situation, and not the actual object of the stalkers’ affections. 

Shutting off the lamp, Yamaguchi sighed and counted sheep in his head, nestling the blanket closer around him. As the tug of sleep and dreariness came at him, Yamaguchi wondered why he felt like the person he saw in his room eerily resembled that pretty brunette boy that left his number with him for Hinata to claim later on.

With all that, he failed to notice the door leading out of his bedroom was slightly ajar.

  


4\. Model

A few days later and there hadn’t been any new creepy stalker activity, Yamaguchi thought and hoped that maybe they’d finally given up or Hinata had actually confronted them.

He was a fool for hoping because of course he was. 

Another pretty boy was waiting right outside the center. He had never seen him before, but it was easy to assume the man with glasses in warm clothes was a model or maybe even a celebrity in disguise.

Hinata still wouldn’t be out for another ten minutes at least, so Yamaguchi impulsively decided to take a different approach with this one.

“Hello, are you waiting for someone?” Yamaguchi greeted the tall pretty boy.

The man blinked at him with the same blank expression. “Yes?”

“If you’d like, you could sit and wait inside? It’s pretty chilly outside.”

The pretty boy seemed to contemplate this, his eyes shifting over to the center ever so slightly before returning to meet his. “…If it’s not a bother.”

“It’s not a bother at all! I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi, and I man the front desk. Who are you waiting for?” he talked as they walked together back inside, learning the pretty man’s name was Akaashi Keiji.

“I’m waiting for Hinata. Hinata Shoyo.”

It took a lot out of Yamaguchi not to break his civil smile in front of Akaashi. “Oh? Really? Shoyo is so popular. He walks home with one of his friends almost every day.”

Yamaguchi watched his expression carefully, noticing the light twitch in his eye. “...Is that so?”

“Yes. I’m quite glad he has someone to walk home with though. Ever since his apartment was broken into a few days ago—”

“He was what?!” Akaashi exclaimed, eyes slightly wide.

Another crack in his otherwise neutral expression. “…Oh. Shoyo didn’t tell you?”

“Didn’t tell what?” Hinata came out of the gym doors earlier than expected, strutting up to them with a big smile. “Oh, Akaashi-san! Did I make you wait long?”

“No, Yamaguchi-san just let me in.”

“I see. Thanks, Tadashi. Ah, that’s right, I haven’t formally introduced you two yet. Tadashi, this is Akaashi Keiji, he’s a mangaka. Akaashi-san, this is Yamaguchi Tadashi, he—”

“Front desk. I know. He told me,” Akaashi interrupted. “We should get going now, Hinata-kun. The sun is starting to set.”

“Ah, right! See you, Tadashii!”

Yamaguchi waved goodbye to his friend, disappointment and fear nipping at his core. He failed to ask Akaashi anything significant. If he knew about Kenma and Kageyama, if he was romantically interested in his friend, if there was a reason he was waiting for Hinata, and more. It seemed Hinata hadn’t mentioned his robbery to anyone either. Still, he wanted proof that this Akaashi wasn’t another Kenma, Kageyama or whatever that other pretty boy was. 

Though, the camera bag slung around Akaashi’s body was already sending red flags in Yamaguchi’s head.

Later that same night, he decided to confront Hinata directly. After finishing dinner and all the dishes were put away, he decided now was a good as time as any.

“So, um, Shoyo…”

“Hm?”

“You mentioned Akaashi-san is a mangaka, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Is he a photographer too? I noticed the camera bag…”

“Ah… well, that’s Akaashi-san’s hobby.”

“Hobby?”

“Yup! He likes taking pictures of the most random things. Like this one time, I accompanied him to the park so he could observe people for his manga, and while we were walking around, he was taking photos of like, the flowers, the clock, the bench, but when I asked him if I could see the pictures he took, it turns out, he also took some nice shots of me!” 

Yamaguchi nearly dropped the plate he was drying. His mouth dried up, warning bells were going off and he had to resist the urge to grab Hinata by the shoulders and shake some sense into Hinata for him to realize how fucked up his friends were. He was so caught up in his horror that he didn’t notice Hinata was still going off in his storytelling. 

“—and Akaashi-san was so shy about it too! Like, he was blushing! _Blushing!_ I got someone like Akaashi-san to blush! I teased him about it for a little bit until he asked if I was weirded out by him for taking pictures of me.”

“…And?” Yamaguchi waited.

“And I told him I didn’t mind. They were really nice shots and he uses his pictures as references for his mangas, so I didn’t mind!”

Yamaguchi had never wanted to slam his head against the counter so badly as he did in that moment.

_Okay, wait, maybe I’m overthinking this._

Maybe this Akaashi had a genuine, normal crush on his friend. If it was like that, then there was no reason for Yamaguchi to fear for his and Hinata’s life. It was Akaashi’s life now, with two—maybe three—stalkers chasing after the same person. Maybe he should warn Akaashi.

And so, the next day at the center, Yamaguchi wasn’t surprised to see Akaashi again. This time, he actually came inside instead of just waiting outside. Smiling at him, they made small talk while waiting for Hinata. When Akaashi excused himself to go the bathroom and Yamaguchi pointed him in the right direction, he left his bags with Yamaguchi.

The shoulder bag taunted him with temptation. 

Against his better judgement, Yamaguchi hastily came close to Akaashi’s bag and flipped it open, hoping that everything in there was normal. 

And at first, it seemed that way.

One polaroid camera, and several developed photos already tucked to the side. Glancing at the hallway that lead to the bathroom, Yamaguchi took a chance and fished it out, his face falling as he got a closer look at the photos and his blood ran cold.

They were all pictures of Hinata. 

Every. Single. One. 

Most disturbing of all, was the one photo of Hinata opening his apartment door. And by his, he meant Yamaguchi’s. The clothes, the hair, the bag, everything was what Hinata wore yesterday. That photo was taken last night. Akaashi followed Hinata home all the way to his apartment and took pictures.

Reeling, Yamaguchi took out his phone and snapped a picture of all the polaroid photos before he stuffed the photos back in as neatly as he could and rushed back to his spot. Akaashi had yet to come out, so he allowed himself to calm down. Just when he had hoped someone had a cute and normal crush on his friend, they had to be the creepiest stalker out of them all.

“Yamaguchi-san? Are you alright?”

He flinched, nearly falling out of his chair. Yamaguchi stared into Akaashi’s pretty blue-green eyes and internally sighed. Such a good-looking man, but such a creep!

“I’m fine. Just feeling a bit under the weather.”

Akaashi hummed. “Well, the weather forecast did say it was going to rain for some time. I hope you don’t catch a cold.”

“I’ll be okay. Peppermint tea always helps. Especially on rainy days.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll be sure to buy some on my way home.”

_On your way home? Don’t you mean you’ll buy it after you follow Hinata home?!_

“Does Hinata-kun also enjoy peppermint tea?”

“Wha—Ah, yes,” Yamaguchi was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. He had to be careful in how much information he gave out. “H-He does.” Then, an idea came to him. “But I know he prefers chamomile over anything.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s his favorite.”

“Akaashi-san!” Hinata came sprinting up to them.

“Hinata-kun.”

“I’m ready to go now. See you, Yamaguchi!”

Once the two were out of sight, Yamaguchi texted Tsukishima, asking if they could meet up for dinner tomorrow.

  


5\. Double

Yamaguchi sighed out loud. He’d stay up trying to formulate a plan on how to best approach this issue. As much as he would have liked to stay out of this mess entirely, Hinata was still his friend and he’d never forgive himself if he allowed something to happen to him when he was the only one that he knew was aware of the amount of dangerous people lingering around Hinata. 

First, he needed to take a step back.

Okay, there were four good-looking men stalking his good friend and neighbor in their own creepy ways. Not a problem. Totally typical courting methods. The problem was that he didn’t have any proof that those four were stalking Hinata. The only evidence he had so far was the picture he took of Akaashi’s camera bag, but then he was worried what would they say if he admitted to snooping through someone's else personal belongings.

Yamaguchi was so caught up in his strife, that he didn’t notice the figure approach his desk. 

“Excuse me,” the man with a blonde undercut said. 

“Yes?” he jolted awake, realizing that having his hands through his hair and head lowered made him look like he was having a mental breakdown. 

The man didn’t comment on it but there was a something in his smile that he greeted him with. It was too tight, too wide, his tone too forced. “Did Shoyo-kun leave already?”

_Another one?_

“Are you referring you Hinata Shoyo?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, he already has.”

“I see, I see… Then, what time does he usually come in?”

Yamaguchi hesitated. If these were true stalkers, then wouldn’t they have figured it his schedule already? Or was he planning something else? Then again, he’s watched enough horror shows to know that lying to someone that could potentially kill you and your friends was never a good idea. But he didn’t want to give away Hinata’s schedule just like that either. And he was pretty sure if he didn’t tell him, he’d simply find another way.

“Usually around nine. May I ask what business do you have with Hinata-san? I could leave a message if you’d like.”

The blonde opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by another voice. “Tsumu, are ya done yet? My arm is getting tired holding this thing.”

Another man, very similar looking to the blonde standing right in front of him. Same indifferent eyes, same bushy eyebrows, similar height, and similar build. The only difference between the two were their hair colors. The one inquiring about Hinata was blonde, and this newcomer had a silver undercut. He was pretty sure if it wasn’t for their difference in hair color, Yamaguchi wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.

The blonde rolled his eyes at his twin. “Don’t be so impatient, Samu. We just missed Shoyo-kun.”

“Really? What a shame. We made all these onigiris too…”

_We?_

A bubble of panic rose in Yamaguchi’s chest. Were these twins also after Hinata? If so, this was literally double the trouble. 

“Thank you and sorry for the trouble,” the gray-haired twin bowed before leaving, his blonde twin trailing behind him.

Yamaguchi let his thoughts roam. They said they were carrying onigiris. But what if those weren’t onigiris? What if they were onigiris, but poisoned onigiris? Yanderes did that, right? Poisoning or drugging the food they made in order to knock out competition and sedate their love interest so that they’d remain compliant to their every whim.

When Yamaguchi returned to the apartment with Hinata already making dinner, he let out a heavy sigh, and paused in his greeting when he saw the pack of chamomile tea on the counter. That wasn’t there before.

“Shoyo, did you buy that?” Yamaguchi asked, pointing at the pack of teabags.

“Huh? Oh! Akaashi for some reason insisted on buying that for me, even though I told him there was no need.”

He knew it. The reason he told Akaashi Hinata’s favorite tea was to see what he would do. This stalker seemed to be the eager to please type, similar to Kenma.

“Oh, by the way,” Hinata added. “We ran into Kenma on the way home.”

“Kozume-san?!” Yamaguchi did a double-take.

“Yeah, Akaashi-san insisted on walking me home, but then we ran into Kenma! Isn’t that a nice coincidence?”

‘Nice’ wouldn’t be the word he’d use to describe that encounter. Secondly, he was pretty sure running into Kozume wasn’t just a coincidence. “I… guess,” Yamaguchi defeatedly said. “What did you three talk about?”

“Not much. We were already on our way home by that point, and I had already bought everything I needed. Funny enough, Kenma knew about the break in, even though I don’t remember telling him that, but I’m sure I just forgot.” Yamaguchi was too stunned to interrupt Hinata from his storytelling. “—But I guess, Kenma was a little sad we couldn’t talk longer, so I promised to hang out with him this Friday.”

Did he just promise to hang out with one of his stalkers right in front of his other stalker?

“I-I see…” Yamaguchi breathed out, unable to say anything else. “And, what about Akaashi-san?”

“That was actually the funny part. He told me he promised to treat me to dinner this Friday, even though I’m pretty sure we didn’t make any plans for that.”

_Damnit Hinata!_

“I see…” Yamaguchi found himself saying again. “So, what did you do?”

He shrugged. “I just told Akaashi-san I’ll let him treat me to dinner this Saturday instead.”

“Huh…” Yamaguchi didn’t even know what he was expecting. “Speaking of dinner… there were these twins looking for your, after you left with Akaashi-san.”

“Twins?”

“Yeah. Both had undercuts, one was blonde, the other was silver-haired, and they both said they had onigiris for you.”

“Oh, Atsumu-san and Osamu-san!” without even needing to see the confused look on Yamaguchi’s face, Hinata explained how he knew them. “Atsumu-san came to the center to play volleyball once, and we played a few matches together. After that, he bragged that his twin brother makes the best onigiris, so he promised to bring some the next time he came to visit. I told him to at least message me before he came though.”

So far so good, everything out of that sounded normal. If Yamaguchi hadn’t gone through four of these already, then he probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But he couldn’t afford to be careless. “Oh… well, they said they’ll come back. Do you think they’d mind if I tried one?”

“Not at all! Despite how they act, they’re actually really nice!”

Yamaguchi hummed with a placated smile

The next day, just as Hinata and Yamaguchi clocked in to work, out in the corner of his eyes, he saw a familiar man with a blonde undercut, and internally grimaced, while Hinata beamed.

“Shoyo-kun, morning!” Miya Atsumu greeted. 

“Good morning, Atsumu-san! You’re here early!”

“Yeah, well,” he held up the same bag that he brought with him yesterday. “I didn’t want to miss you this time.”

“Oh wow! Thank you, Atsumu-san! You didn’t have to!”

“Don’t mention it, Shoyo-kun.”

“Where’s Osamu-san?”

He shrugged. “Samu’s got work by this time, so it’s just me.”

“Aw, well, hopefully he’ll get to join us next time!”

Atsumu’s mouth twitched. It was very subtle, but Yamaguchi noticed it nonetheless. It seemed Atsumu didn’t like the idea of his twin intruding on his one on one time with Hinata, he surmised.

“I don’t know… he’s pretty busy now, working in the catering business and all. But anyways, enough about Samu, let’s play some volleyball!”

“Okay! See you later, Yamaguchi!” 

He waved back and it was then Atsumu finally noticed his presence. At first, it looked like a simple disinterested gaze, but it felt unpleasant either way. Yamaguchi prayed that this Atsumu was different from the others. He didn’t know if he could handle five stalkers.

A few hours later, Hinata came out for lunch without Atsumu. “Tadashi, I’m sorry, but Atsumu wants to have lunch together, and—”

Hm, so far the blonde hadn't done anything suspicious, but was it alright to leave those two alone together? Then again, if he were to interfere and Atsumu deemed him as an obstacle, wouldn't that be putting the both of them at risk? Yamaguchi contemplated his choices. Should he risk a chance and see if Atsumu was different? 

“Okay!” Yamaguchi blurted out rather too quickly. “I-I mean, yeah... But, uh, call or text me if you need anything or anything happens! _Especially_ if anything happens! ”

“Hmm… " Hinata raised a brow questioningly. "Okay, but Atsumu-san was kind enough to give me so many onigiris that he didn’t mind me sharing some with you! Here!” Hinata handed him a piece of seeming delicious and innocent-looking onigiri.

“Oh… Uh, tell Atsumu-san thank you for me…” Yamaguchi gulped, taking the onigiri from Hinata’s hand.

“Will do! See you when we go home, Tadashi!”

As Hinata left with the taller man, Yamaguchi stared down at the onigiri and hesitantly nipped at it. It tasted good. He tasted the normal ingredients anyone would find in a normal onigiri. With the same trepidation, he took a bigger bite of the piece he held in his hand and slowly chewed. This was… actually really good. It was not long until he finished the entire thing, which he soon came to regret.

“Oh!” Yamaguchi lurched, his stomach rumbling, his insides turning in and out of themselves. Clutching the front of his desk, Yamaguchi doubled over, hand over his stomach, his knees becoming weaker by the second. “Oh no…”

Mustering up as much energy as he could, he dashed to the bathroom and heaved out what probably was his breakfast, and the one onigiri he ate. His throat burned, his mouth tasted like acid, the toilet water now took on a disgustingly pale green color.

When he was done, the sound of the water flushing down the toilet rang through his head and his limbs heavy. 

Yamaguchi stared down into the toilet for a few seconds, needing something to focus on, feeling bone-tired, even though it was still the middle of the day. One thought filtered through his head.

_I can’t let this go on any longer… But I can’t do this alone._

“Shit! Shoyo is alone with him!” he gasped, running out of the bathroom.

Taking out his phone as he dashed out of the building, he dialed his friend’s number, but ring after ring, it wouldn’t pick up, which only served to spike his heart rate. Yamaguchi had read plenty of stories wherein the protagonists felt the cold coils of fear encircle him, but he never thought he’d ever find himself in that sort of situation, as he sprinted down the sidewalk, past the crowds of people, looking through the windows of the numerous restaurants, shops and cafes, in hopes of spotting a blob of orange hair.

But just like his attempted phone call, window after window, Hinata was not there.

Soon, Yamaguchi found himself in the middle of the crossroads, out of breath and out of his mind. The tall buildings that he had grown used to were towering over him, and seemed to grow taller the more he stood there. The people passing by him all blurred by in an array of colors, making his head spin. The sounds of cars and people chattering all mushed together and Yamaguchi finally realized he was alone.

Away from the safety of the recreation center. Away from all the security cameras. He was in the middle of a busy street. Where anyone could just bump into him and hurt him.

“Ah!” a young boy exclaimed, one arm holding tightly onto his mother’s hand. “Sorry!”

He couldn’t bring himself to care. All his panicked thoughts and worst-case scenarios made him feel lightheaded, and his lungs burned from running around so much.

Then his eyes landed on an unfamiliar café’s window just across the street.

Sure enough, he saw the two of them through the café’s window, casually talking, two plates filled with green vegetables on their table between them. Without really thinking, Yamaguchi entered the café and went up to their table.

“Tadashi?” Hinata said once he saw his green-haired friend approach.

Yamaguchi blinked, realizing he didn’t mentally prep himself at all for any sort of confrontation and he needed to come up with some sort of excuse now. “I-uh… forgot to tell you that I… Um…”

He saw the Tupperware with the half-eaten onigiris the both of them were eating and painfully realized that Atsumu poisoned only that one piece of onigiri. He couldn’t accuse Atsumu now.

“Uh…I-I’m meeting up with Tsukki for dinner tonight!” which wasn’t a lie. “I just wanted to tell you before the end of the day, so don’t wait up for me.”

“Oh!” his expression brightened. “Well then, tell Tsukki I said hi! And that he still owes me meat buns!”

“Y-Yeah…” he snuck a glance at Atsumu, but the blonde’s calculative eyes flickered back and forth between him and Hinata. “A-Anyways! Sorry for interrupting! Enjoy your lunch!”

…

He was so caught up in his worries that he didn’t notice a certain tall blonde man approach his desk until he slammed his hand down on it. “Yamaguchi.”

“Ah… Sorry, Tsukki,” he looked at the clock and realized he should’ve clocked out minutes ago. “Oh, I didn’t realize it was this late already.”

Tsukishima waved it off and waited for Yamaguchi to gather his things and they left for the nearby restaurant for dinner. “I wasn’t sure what to think when you suddenly said you wanted to meet up and discuss something, but I could tell, whatever it is, it’s bothering you.”

Trust his best friend since y to know him so well. “I can’t hide anything from you, Tsukki. The thing is…” He explained what he’d seen, starting with Kenma, to the break-in, all the way to the mysterious twins showing up with onigiris, all related to Hinata. 

When he finished, there was a dark look in Tsukishima’s eye. “And you haven’t told Daichi-san anything?”

He shook his head. “I don’t have concrete proof they’re actually stalking Shoyo. And honestly… I’m kind of scared of them. I feel like any one of them could strangle me if I so much as looked at Hinata for too long.”

Tsukishima hummed, a light pout on his lips. “The shrimp is as clueless as ever even as an adult. How grating.”

“I know! Sometimes I wish I could just shake Shoyo by the shoulders and tell him—eh? Tsukki?” 

The tall blonde stopped in front of the entrance of a very fancy restaurant. “Come on, my treat. It’s been a while since I last ate here.” 

Yamaguchi blinked, before silently following his friend into the fancy place. Even more surprising, Tsukishima booked a private room where they could dine without worrying about anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. To Yamaguchi, his best friend was always nicer than he let on, he was just too cynical to show it around others.

After ordering their food—which was obviously ridiculously priced—Yamaguchi continued. “What do you think I should do, Tsukki? I can’t let this go on any longer! Who knows if a sixth guy will come around who’s even more dangerous than the other five?!”

“Well…” Tsukishima started, but the waiter came in with their food and so the two waited until everything was placed before they resumed their conversation. “I think you did the right thing by finally telling someone, and not just keep this to yourself. Obviously, all five of them are capable of following Hinata home, but based on what you’ve told me, you only have evidence against this Akaashi, right?”

“Yeah,” he grabbed his fork, stabbing the one of the small pieces of meat on his plate, and chewed furiously as soon as it was in his mouth. “Maybe if manage to convince Daichi, I can get him to grab some CCTV footage from the past weeks from all the streets and convenience stores nearby!” He finished by taking a long sip of the tall glass of beer by his side.

“The problem is, the most you can do is file a restraining order against them, but we know how annoying the process for _that_ is.”

Yamaguchi heaved a heavy sigh, grabbing his glass of beer and chugging down a heavy amount of it. “Yeah… I guess I—” Out of nowhere, Yamaguchi’s vision blurred. The plate, the utensils, the table covers all swayed, and his eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. “Wha-What’s… Tsukki—”

“Sorry, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima apologized, leaning forward, his face getting blurrier by the second. “I have to thank you for not telling Daichi-san anything, as well as coming to me first. I thought helping Suga-san would be simple, but it seems I was wrong.”

“W-Why…” Yamaguchi was having a hard time keeping himself upright. Registering the blonde’s words without it turning all muffled was already difficult enough. 

“Why?” Tsukishima repeated, standing up, circling the table until he was standing right behind the green-haired man, and whispered into his ear. “Because you know too much now. Don’t worry though. When you wake up…”

He heard the doors of the private room slide open, and a man with familiar silver hair, brown eyes and a beauty mark by his eye enter, smiling like an angel come to claim him. “You won’t remember any of this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't read into this too much. I just wanted to write a thriller-ish fic for Halloween. And also because Yandere Kenma sounded so appealing to write for Halloween.


End file.
